As known in the art, a hand tool may be used to engage an integrated circuit chip (IC chip) and either install or remove the chip from its installation. A typical tool utilizes a set of jaws each having a row of teeth for insertion between the pins of the chip. In the typical prior art tool, the jaws are held in the closed position with spring tension and are forced into the open position with a hand operated plunger which may be forced between the jaws thereby causing them to open so that the jaws may be positioned to accept a chip within and have the teeth aligned with the spaces between the pins. The plunger may then be withdrawn thereby allowing the jaws to close around the chip with the teeth fully inserted between the pins.
In this engaged position, an IC chip may be removed from its installation by exerting a pulling force on the tool so that the underside of the chip is engaged by the teeth and the pulling force is distributed between the teeth in the pulling direction and the chip is removed. It is important to exert the pulling force in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the installation so that the chip is removed straight out. This prevents the bending of the chip's pins which are extremely delicate. This is often difficult to achieve, especially with chips having a larger number of pins, because of the high degree of hand-eye coordination required. Although many IC chips are mounted in sockets whereby the chip is held in place merely by the spring tension exerted against its individual pins in their sockets and other chips may be similarly susceptible to easy removal, some installations require that a chip be bonded on its underside with a heat conductive adhesive to a heat sink. The removal of such a chip with a prior art hand tool without bending any pins is extremely difficult at best.
An IC chip may also be inserted into its installation with the prior art hand tool. With the jaws fully engaged around the chip the tool may be oriented so that the pins are aligned with their receptacles in the installation and pushed in. The jaw's teeth in this case are not used to exert the pushing force but merely to hold the chip in proper alignment within the tool. The actual pushing forces are exerted against the top surface of the chip with projecting surfaces within each jaw which may be a projecting ledge or lip or sets of tabs. Again, it is difficult to coordinate the eye and hand in the manner necessary to exert the substantially perpendicular force required to insert a chip without bending its pins.
With training and experience some adeptness at removing or inserting IC chips may be developed using the prior art hand tool. However, some degree of damage to the pins of at least some chips will still occur even among the more experienced users. Considering the expense involved in the development of such a skill and the concomitant expense for discovering and replacing damaged chips, the prior art method of inserting and removing IC chips from their installations can result in unnecessary expense and waste.